The school announced Wednesday that it has been informed by the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance that it was denied its final appeal of a postseason ban for 2014-’15 because of cumulative Academic Performance Rate (APR) scores.

That means the Panthers won’t be allowed to compete in the Horizon League Tournament, which they unexpectedly won in March, or the NCAA Tournament, which they reached for the first time since 2006.

It’s unfortunate when this happens and it occurs all too often following a big year for a program. However, it must be noted that NCAA academic scoring is not strictly based on grades. There is a formula which also accounts or factors in players who leave before the end of the season, but is dependent on how long they were with the program. Just like everything the NCAA does, it’s possible for schools to do everything by the book and still run afoul of the rules, sometimes after the fact.